Scrapbook Title HACK using vinyl!

Happy Wednesday friends! I wanted to share some crafty inspiration with you today but I'm typing this up as my toddler plays quietly by himself (whaaa? I know... don't... speak...or...move...at...all) so I will keep it brief.  As you may or may not know, I'm a *little* behind on my scrapbook.  Anyone else?  Now I'm not quite as far behind as my mom, who is still working on my elementary school pages but I haven't reached my goal of being caught up on my son's photos before the next baby comes...

...in 3 weeks.  Yea, it's not going to happen.   That being said, any free time lately has gone to scrapbooking (or working on our business) instead of other crafts.  I'll share some layout ideas with you later but HAD to share this little hack with you before I forgot!

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No, this isn't about coming up with something clever as your title but rather about what material you should be using for the titles on your scrapbook spreads!


There are a few options available when putting a title on your scrapbook page.

(1) Write it out by hand.
       Pros: easy, always available
      Cons: doesn't look as nice

(2) Use scrapbooking stickers.
      Pros: fairly easy, looks nicer than handwriting
     Cons: can get expensive, time consuming, limited to size/design of sticker

(3) Cut words out of paper with your cutting machine.

      Pros: Unlimited font styles, unlimited options for size/paper design, inexpensive.

     Cons: Very time consuming to glue down every letter

ooooooorrr.... 

(4) Cut words out of vinyl with your cutting machine.

      Pros: Unlimited font styles, unlimited options for size/color (as long as you have that color vinyl on hand of course) easy to apply, fast to do
      Cons: a little pricey (cost of vinyl & transfer paper) but not any more than scrapbooking sticker packs from the store.

I'm a big fan of option #4.  If you already have a cutting machine and vinyl at home, then this is a no-brainer.  If you don't but scrapbook a lot, it's something to consider having on hand (the 

Silhouette is awesome to have for scrapbooking and other crafting... not just for titles!)

My super crafty and amazing mother shared this idea with me (here's a guest post she did for me sharing how to make personalized necklaces from Shrinky Dinks!) and I'm so glad she did.  It has completely changed my scrapbooking game.  I have always hated hand written titles and it seems that the store bought stickers were never the right size or color that I needed (or I ran out of letters!) plus they were expensive.

Using my Silhouette allows me to design my title in any font I like and in any size or shape.  Using vinyl saves me time because applying individual pieces of paper took forever and resulted in SO. MUCH. GLUE. on my hands.  With vinyl I simply design it, cut it out, weed it and then use transfer paper to move the entire title to my scrapbook page at one time.  It's amazing.  I seriously can't get over how brilliant of an idea this was.

Don't stop at page titles, use this to create your own "stickers" for your spread!  No need to search the stores for a sticker or embellishment that sort-of works, simply design exactly what you want, in the size and color that you want!  I just wrote "Baby's First Christmas" but you could easily personalize it with your child's name (I'd like to see you do that sticker company! ha!)

Vinyl is also very thin so it lays nicely on your pages, creating a very crisp and smooth appearance.  If you are like me and have to include something lumpy bumpy on your pages, stick with the vinyl title and add a few small touches elsewhere to add dimension.  Here's what I did on this particular spread:

I just cut out a few trees (by hand) from the background paper and attached them to the top of some plain creme colored buttons.  It drew the different elements from the page together and added a few pops of dimension.  I also used a similar idea for creating a layered tree on the title page where I wrote the year details.  I like to use hot glue as a way to bind layers together and create dimension (other scrapbook adhesives will just stick them together flat) but there are other options available at the craft store- like those spongy little squares... what are those called again?

Whether you occasionally scrapbook or have years and years of spreads ahead of you- trust me- this idea is worth a try.  It's been a complete game changer for me and in many cases will be the way I title from this point on.

Scrapbook Layout for B&W Photos or Detail Shots

Two weeks ago I posted about wanting to get caught up on my scrapbook, especially since my little guy is a year and a half old and I'm still not done with his birth photos- eek!  Because of that, I wanted to share with you one of my all time favorite scrapbooking spreads.  These photos were taken when my son was less than 10 days old by Hartsough Photography (that's her facebook page- go show her some love).  I wanted to hang these photos on the wall in a collage but I also wanted to have them in a scrapbook.  I'm so glad I did.

I hope this simple but stunning layout will inspire you to  scrapbook your own black and white photos and/or detail shots.  Black and white photos are often difficult to use because we can get "stuck" using matching papers and decorations and end up with all black/white pages.  Creating a spread with a large number of photos (like you may have in "detail" shots of baby or wedding) can seem overwhelming and leave us with pages full of pictures and no "design".  This layout solves both of these problems...

and it's just so lovely...

Here are a few easy tips for creating this look.

1. Pick a subtle background in the "sort of close to white" category.  I used a creme/nude color with a faint floral design.  You don't want this to be your splash of color but you do want to have something outside of a solid white or black so that your photos stand out.

2. Pick a splash of color.  I chose a light blue because it stood out (without being gaudy) and it's perfect for my sweet baby boy.

3. On your first page include:  A large title that stands out, a "main focus" photo (I chose a black and white shot that showed his entire body since the rest of the photos were detail shots) and another photo if you still have space.

I've always wanted to frame a photo through the middle of a picture (is there a name for this?) but have never been able to make it work- either because my focus takes up the entire photo or because there was too much "background" for a frame to look right.  This photo was perfect and I love how it turned out! 

4. On the second page, make the focus the photos but keep it clean.  Using squares and rectangles, I filled the page with photos and papers in slightly different sizes that lined up in even rows.

5. Make sure to include a spot for a story explaining your photos.  If the pictures are self-explanatory, don't forget details like date, time and location!  You might remember it now but will you in 20 years?  I wrote a brief letter to my son describing our feelings the first time we saw him; how we fell in love with all his little details from the moment we met.


6. Lastly, include some sort of decoration.  I recommend making it fit in the square shape as much as possible to keep the shape.  I created this one with my Silhouette by simply typing up the words I wanted to use and trying to connect the letters as much as possible (because it looks neat and because it's less tiny pieces I have to glue on separately!)  Those words describe the pictures and all the little things we love about him.  It doesn't have to be fancy to make a big statement, especially on a page like this.

That's it!  Following these 6 simple steps you can create a crisp and clean yet warm and lovely scrapbook layout that brings out the beauty of black and white photos and displays a multitude of pictures without losing the design element.  I hope you enjoyed this post.  I would love to see the spreads you have created and always appreciate your comments!  Now, onto the other million photos I've taken of him...

Happy Crafting,
Kelsie Ann